1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to barges and docks. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to bumper assemblies for modular barges.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to use bumper assemblies to protect ships, boats, barges, docks, and rigs such as oil rigs. These bumper assemblies are needed to both protect the structure carrying the bumper assemblies, as well as any object (e.g., a boat) that may collide with the bumper-bearing structure.
Effort has been directed to providing bumper assemblies for marine structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,241 to Helveston et al. discloses a bumper assembly mounted to a stationary offshore structure. The bumper assembly includes shock absorbing members mounted to the stationary offshore structure and a vertical frame member extending between the shock absorbing members. At each end of the vertical support member, at the point of attachment to the shock absorbing member, a supporting chain or cable is attached to support the vertical member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,962 to Guibault discloses a modular floating dock that includes an interlocking assembly of floating dock units. Each of the floating dock units has four corner eye lugs used to couple adjacent floating dock units together. Nuts and bolts are passed through overlapping eye lugs for connecting adjacent dock units together. After all the floating dock units are assembled together, bumpers are secured in the eye lugs that remain exposed at an outer periphery of the dock.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,181 to Lemke discloses a protective fender for a pontoon boat having an upper support member and a lower support member. The fender includes an elongated body formed from a protective material, a first fastening structure connected to the elongated body and being connectable with the lower support member of the boat, and a second fastening structure connected to the elongated body and being connectable with the upper support member of the boat. The protective fender may be readily moved along the length of the pontoon boat to protect a selected section of the boat.
Barges are frequently used to support activities such as river dredging operations, laying underwater pipelines and conducting bridge repair projects. In many instances, a barge is assembled from many different barge sections connected together. Such barges are generally referred to as modular barges.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional modular barge system 50 including modular barge sections 52A-52F. As shown in FIG. 2, the modular barge sections 52A-52F may be coupled or connected together to form a single modular barge 50. The assembled modular barge 50 may be floated in water to support one or more of the activities described above.
Modular barge sections may be connected together using a wide variety of interconnection methods. For example, FIG. 3 shows two modular barge sections 52A and 52B that may be connected together using male connectors coupled with female openings. One version of this type of modular barge is sold under the trademark FLEXIFLOAT, and available from Robishaw Engineering, Inc. of Houston, Tex. The first modular barge section 52A includes a top surface 54, a bottom surface 56, a first side wall 58 and a second side wall 60. The first side wall 58 has a first array of female openings 62A-62D and the second side wall 60 has a second array of female openings 64A-64D. Each of the side walls 58, 60 may have more or fewer female openings than are shown in FIG. 3. The second modular barge section 52B includes a top surface 66, a bottom surface 68, a first side wall 70 and a second side wall 72. The first side wall 70 has an array of male connectors 74A-74D and the second side wall 72 has an array of female openings 76A-76D.
FIG. 4 shows the first side wall 70 of the second modular barge section 52B, and the four male connectors 74A-74D extending from the first side wall 70. The male connectors 74A-74D are adapted to be captured in opposing female openings of an opposing modular barge unit for coupling adjacent modular barge sections together. The male connectors are defined by a first set of male connectors 74A, 74C that are vertically aligned with one another, and a second set of male connectors 74B, 74D that are vertically aligned with one another.
FIG. 5 shows how the male connector of a barge section is received within the female opening of an opposing barge section. In FIG. 5, the second barge section 52B has a male connector 74A extending from the first side wall 70. The male connector 74A includes a base 78 connected with the first side wall 70, a tip 80 spaced from the base, and a reduced diameter neck 82 located between the base 78 and the tip 80. The first barge section 52A has a female opening 62B formed in the first side wall 58, which is adapted to receive the male connector 74A. The first barge section 52A has a locking bar 84 that is moved upwardly to prepare the female opening to receive the male connector. As the opposing side walls of the barge sections 52A, 52B are moved toward one another, the male connector 74A is inserted into the female opening 62B until the reduced diameter neck 82 of the male connector is generally aligned with the locking bar 84. The locking bar 84 may then be moved downwardly, such as by using a sledge hammer, so as to lock the two barge sections 52A, 52B together. The other male connectors on the modular barge section 52B are coupled with opposing female openings of an adjacent barge section in a similar manner.
FIG. 6 shows a fragmentary side view of the second modular barge section 52B shown in FIG. 3. The second modular barge section includes a first male connector 74A and a third male connector 74C. The first and third male connectors are vertically aligned with one another (see FIG. 4) and comprise a first set of male connectors. The first male connector 74A includes a base 78A, a tip 80A and a reduced diameter neck 82A. The second male connector 74C also includes a base 78C, a tip 80C and a reduced diameter neck 82C. The two male connectors 74A, 74C are similar in size and shape.
FIGS. 7 and 8A show a bumper used with the FLEXIFLOAT system to protect at least some of the male connectors 74 extending from the second modular barge section 52B. The bumper 88 is coupled with the first and second male connectors 74A, 74B using loop fasteners 90A, 90B that are attached to the bumper 88. As shown in FIG. 7, the loop fasteners are adapted to engage the neck portions of the respective male connectors. The bumper 88 extends in a horizontal direction and only covers the male connectors 74A, 74B adjacent the top surface 66 of the barge section. The male connectors 74C and 74D adjacent the bottom surface 68 of the barge section remain exposed and unprotected by a bumper.
FIG. 8B shows a perspective view of the second modular barge section 52B after the bumper 88 has been positioned over the first and second male connectors 74A, 74B. The bumper 88, which extends in a generally horizontal direction, is designed to protect the upper male connectors, while the two lower male connectors are not covered by a bumper and thus remain exposed and unprotected. Damages due to the lower connectors are of greater concern because they are not visible while the barges are in water, creating hidden hazards.
FIGS. 9A and 9B shows two barges 50A and 50B floating next to each other in a body of water 94. The first barge 50A has upper male connectors 74A covered by a first bumper 88. The lower male connectors 74C of the first barge 50A are not protected by a bumper. The second barge 50B has upper male connectors 74A′ covered by a second bumper 88′. The lower male connectors 74C′ of the second barge 50B are not protected by a bumper.
When the first and second barges 50A, 50B have the same draft in the water 94, the opposing male connectors and bumpers 88, 88′ are at the same elevation relative to one another. Having two unconnected barges with the same draft is rare in nature and highly unlikely in most applications because it occurs only when the barges and the loads on the barges are identical. In all the other cases, either the barges or the loads on the barges are not identical so the barges are not at the same elevation. These general cases are shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. The opposing barges are not at the same elevation relative to one another because the first barge 50A has more freeboard than the second barge 50B. The freeboard differences may be due to a number of factors, including the size of the barge, as shown on FIG. 9A, or the load carried by each barge, as depicted on FIG. 9B. As a result, if the barges 50A, 50B engage one another, the bumpers 88, 88′ will not prevent the male connectors from colliding with opposing barges. This event (i.e., a male connector striking a side wall of an opposing barge) will generally cause damage to the side walls of the barges.
For example, holes may be punched in the side walls of barges. In many instances, the damage may not even be visible because the damaged section may be below the waterline. The described potential damage may create a need for more frequent inspections and may also require the barges to be unassembled and taken out of water for more frequent inspections, which costs time any money. The cost may be even higher when damage is discovered. In cases of other water vessels engaging into these barges, the invisible lower connectors may also damage the vessel. Such damage is unpredictable for someone who is not familiar with the modular barges increasing the risk of hazard to the other vessel.
Thus, there is a need for improved barge systems and improved bumper assemblies for barge systems, docks, rigs, boats and ships.